Temperature-dependent magnetic anisotropies in epitaxial Fe/CoO/MgO(001) system studied by the planar Hall effect

Exchange-induced in-plane magnetic anisotropies in a single-crystalline Fe/CoO/MgO(001) system were quantitatively investigated using the planar Hall effect as a function of temperature. Field cooling can induce a strong uniaxial anisotropy in Fe film with the easy axis along the CoO < 110 > directions close to the cooling field direction. The exchange coupling also induces a 4-fold anisotropy with the easy axis along the CoO < 100 > directions. Our results prove that the strong magneto-crystalline anisotropy of CoO antiferromagnetic spin plays a significant role in exchange-induced anisotropy. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3606531]